K P SHARMA OLI, Prime Minister of Nepal, stressed that “the world is at a watershed moment in history.”  However, the leaving-no-one-behind principle has long been the cornerstone of his country’s approach to development across all sectors.  As a nation emerging from conflict, Nepal deeply understands the profound value of peace and political stability. Immediately after the formation of his Government, Parliament passed a transitional justice bill and while it is being implemented, will uphold victims’ rights, and use reparations and reconciliation to heal the wounds and scars of conflict periods.  As it drives economic transformation for inclusive and equitable prosperity, Nepal will be graduating from its least developed country status by 2026; however, it is confronted with a substantial financial gap of about $24 billion to attain the 2030 Agenda.  He therefore strongly reiterated the call for enhanced, predictable, and sustained international support.

Climate change has emerged as the gravest threat to the planet, people, and prosperity, and “my own country, Nepal, is particularly hard hit” — ranked as the twentieth most disaster-prone country in the world.  He voiced utmost concern at “the alarming rate at which the pristine Himalayas, often referred to as the Third Pole, are losing their vast snow reserves.”  This loss threatens water availability for billions of people living downstream.  Given their significance, it is essential that the mountain agenda should receive due attention in climate negotiations.  Nepal is steadfast in its commitment to the Paris Agreement and aims to achieve the net-zero target by 2045, five years earlier than the global target.  As climate change is a global challenge, he called for global action, with adequate climate financing including the Loss and Damage Fund, crucial to support climate-resilient measures and infrastructure for adaptation in developing countries.

Expressing dismay over a world increasingly distressed by division, suspicion, hatred, and enmity, he emphasized the primacy of dialogue and diplomacy, including in Ukraine and the Middle East.  “It is through love and compassion that hostility and hatred can be overcome, paving the way for lasting peace,” he said, affirming support for a two-State solution, where Israel and Palestine coexist peacefully and securely within internationally recognized borders.  However, he also pointed to worsening humanitarian crises in regions such as Libya, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere.  Emphasizing the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference as enshrined in the UN Charter, he therefore staunchly opposed any form of unilateral intervention or sanctions.

Nepal, he observed, conducts its foreign policy with profound belief in ‘Amity with All, Enmity with None’, standing as the largest contributor of troops and police to UN peace operations.  Echoing the call for substantial reform of the global financial system, as aptly described by Secretary-General António Guterres as “morally bankrupt”, he further insisted that the voices of least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States must be heard. Prioritizing the protection of the rights of migrant workers including their safety, security, dignity, and wellbeing, he stated:  “Let me resonate the wisdom of our ancient text, the Maha Upanishad, from around the sixth century B.C., ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, meaning:  ‘the whole world is one family’.”